by Casey, Ryan
They fired at one another, the group of defectors against Martin’s people. And as much as Jack wanted to stay here, as much as he wanted to fight, he knew he had to get to Bella right now. He knew he had to make sure she was okay. Even if hope was fading fast.
He crouched down. Rushed to her side. Bullets peppered all around him. He heard shouts. Cries. He didn’t know from which side. Didn’t want to even look.
He saw his people standing before him. Pete holding his rifle, pointing it towards the two fighting groups.
“Into the alley,” Jack shouted, gesturing to the alleyway by the side of the streets.
Hazel glared back at him with wide, tear-filled eyes. “But—but Bella—”
“I’ll see to Bella. You need to get everyone to safety. You need to get them out of this town. Go on. Hide. Now!”
Hazel nodded as the bullets continued to fire.
She looked around at Martin’s group, engaged in conflict. Then back at Jack, as the rest of their people headed towards the alley, Villain and Mrs Fuzzles along with them.
She stared into Jack’s eyes as he stood by Bella’s side, and she shook her head. “Be safe. Please.”
Then she turned around and ran.
Jack stood there in the middle of the street. There was a car just up ahead. Its windows had been smashed. If he could just get Bella there, he could find shelter for now. A place to look out for Bella while the chaos ensued.
He couldn’t get Bella to the alley. Not enough time.
He went to make a move towards Bella as she crouched there on the road when another bullet flew past.
He turned around.
The defectors fighting Martin had mostly fallen. All of them but two, anyway. Time was running out.
He raced to Bella’s side. Crouched down right next to her. “Hey, Bella. It’s okay. I’m here.”
She looked up at him. Her face was almost as white as the snow around her. She reached up. Grabbed his hand, shakily.
And he wanted to do so much for her. He wanted to help her.
But he could see the way blood pooled out of her chest, the speed and severity at which it leaked out of her, and he knew he was already too late.
As hard as it was to accept, as bitter a pill as it was to swallow… it was too late.
But he wasn’t leaving her here to die alone.
He was going to try. That was the least he could do.
He tucked his hand underneath her head as bullets continued to fire around him. He looked up at the car. “Bella, this isn’t going to be easy. But I need to get you off this road.”
He felt her hand tighten around his wrist. Saw the way she looked up at him, so lost, so afraid.
And then she said something that broke him. “No.”
Jack frowned. “What?”
Bella gulped heavily. Blood trickled down the corner of her mouth. And then she smiled. In all the chaos, all the gunfire, she smiled. “You… you gave me a chance. You. Wayne. Harry. All of you. You… you were the family I never had. I—I never thought I could love again. I never thought I could trust or… or hope again. And I’m… I’m so happy I got to spend some time with you. I’m so happy you gave me a chance. To—to live. To be me.”
Jack’s eyes welled up. Over his shoulder, he heard the gunfire waning, which worried him. He shook his head. Tightened his grip around Bella’s body. “I’m not leaving you here to die, Bella.”
She reached up again. Grabbed his arm. And then she looked into his eyes, and she smiled. “Go—go protect our people, Jack. Go… go protect our family. Do what—what you do best.”
He looked down at her as bullets flew over his shoulder. As Martin’s remaining people closed in.
And he looked down at Bella’s crying eyes, her smiling face, and then he leaned in and kissed her right on her cold, damp forehead.
“I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m… I’m sorry for a lot.”
He went to move away.
But Bella held on.
Her smile widened.
“Don’t—don’t be sorry. Be proud. You… you’ve got so much to be proud of. You’ve got… got so much worth fighting for.”
A sole tear rolled down her face as Jack crouched there. His eyes were cloudy, too.
“Now go find—find us a new home. Go start again. Together.”
He looked down into Bella’s fading eyes, her smiling face.
Then he looked over his shoulder.
Martin’s people approaching. The battle coming to a close.
He looked back at Bella.
Her eyes were vacant.
But a smile still sat on her face.
He closed her eyes.
Kissed her head.
“I’ll fight for our people. I promise.”
And then he stood up, and he ran towards the alley.
He felt bullets whooshing past him. Heard them cracking around him.
But he didn’t look over his shoulder.
He didn’t look back once.
He just kept on making his way towards the alley.
Kept on making his way towards his people.
Towards the ones who mattered most.
But when he reached the alley, he looked back towards Bella.
She lay on the ground.
Bleeding out into the snow.
Smile on her face.
“Go find us a new home. Go start again. Together.”
He swallowed a lump in his throat as tears fell down his cheeks. “I will. I promise.”
And then he turned away from Martin’s oncoming people, and he ran.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Jack sat in the abandoned warehouse just outside of town and didn’t say a word.
They’d been in here a while. It was getting dark outside. Clouds had thickened over, suffocating the last of the day’s sun. It wasn’t snow that fell from the sky today, though. Instead, icy rain and hailstones fell in large, heavy chunks, pounding against the metal roof of the building. It looked like it’d been a car mechanics in here, once upon a time. Cars gutted, tools and spare parts all over the place. That smell of oil still hanging in the air. Reminders of a normal past. A past lost long ago.
The rest of the group were quiet, too. At first, they were quiet because they’d managed to battle their way away from Martin’s remaining people and didn’t want to draw any attention. But there was also the shock that hung over them. The shock of what’d happened with Iain and the kids.
The shock of what’d happened to Bella.
The memory of the way she’d stood there one moment then fallen to the snowy ground the next.
He thought about Bella. The girl who Wayne had got to know. The girl who’d restored his faith in people. And Wayne had done the same with her. Hell, all of them had, from what she’d said.
She’d been through hell in her life. A shitty, miserable existence, before the EMP struck.
It was quite remarkable, really. It’d taken an end of the world scenario for her to really find a family.
And now she was gone.
Jack wiped a tear from his eye. He should’ve kept his people close. He should’ve been the one to take that bullet. He shouldn’t have frigging trusted Trent.
If he hadn’t trusted him… maybe they wouldn’t have run into Martin’s people.
And then there was Pete. He was the bastard who’d led them right into that town.
He had a lot to answer for.
If they hadn’t gone that way, Martin wouldn’t have been there waiting for him.
He tightened his fists, and he stood.
He paced across the warehouse. Saw his people sitting around. Saw Trent, right in his sights. Anger flooded his veins. The urge to punish someone for what’d happened. The need to hold someone responsible.
And Trent was the one in the headlights right now.
He lifted his rifle and pointed it right at Trent.
Trent stared back at him. Fear on his face. “What—”
; “Get up,” Jack said.
Hazel stood. Walked over to Jack. “Jack? What is this?”
He held on to that rifle with his shaking hands. Pointed it right at Trent. “You led us this way.”
Trent shook his head. “I told you, I had no idea—”
Jack smacked the rifle right against his jaw. “Bullshit. You knew exactly what you were leading us towards.”
“I—”
“And even if you didn’t. Iain and the kids. What about them, huh? What did you do to help them?”
Trent just shook his head. “I’m sorry. Truly.”
Jack stepped back. Paced around, so eager to use that rifle on Trent, so eager to take out his anger on someone.
Pete stood. Walked over to Jack. Held out a hand. “Jack, I’m not sure this is the right way to go about things.”
Jack turned the rifle on him, then. “Nice of you to pipe up. Especially when you led us right through that town.”
Pete’s face turned. “What are you implying, mate?”
“Don’t ‘mate’ me.”
Pete opened his mouth. Then he closed it. Like he knew damn well there was nothing he could say that might help his case.
It was Candice who stepped forward. Stood there, right between Jack and Trent.
She looked into his eyes. “Jack. I know you’re hurting. I know… I know you feel responsible somehow, for what happened to Bella. But you didn’t do this. There’s only one person who was responsible for this. Only one. And there’s… there’s nothing we can do about him right now. There’s nothing we can do.”
Jack’s anger grew. He wanted to make Trent suffer. He was one of Martin’s people. He was someone he could take it out on. He gritted his teeth, shook his head. “There is something we can do.”
“And you think Bella would want that? You think she’d want you taking out blind vengeance on one of Martin’s people? A man who wants to help us? You saw them yourself. The ones standing against Martin. Trent’s not a bad person, Jack. I know you find it hard to believe. But not everyone’s an enemy.”
He looked into Candice’s eyes, and he remembered one of the last things Bella had said to him.
“I never thought I could love again. I never thought I could trust or… or hope again.”
He heard those words echoing around his mind.
He wanted to defend his people.
He didn’t want to trust.
But then as he stood there and stared at Trent… he couldn’t deny what Candice had just said.
He lowered his rifle.
Turned around.
And he walked away.
“I’m sorry,” Trent said. “For your friend. I really am. But I… That wasn’t me, man. That was him. Not me.”
Jack stopped. He tightened his grip on the rifle. That desire to pull the trigger once again.
And then he took a deep breath, and he walked away, back towards the side of the warehouse, Villain trailing beside him.
He was going to hold off.
He was going to give Trent a chance.
But Martin…
He held his breath, and he thought of Martin as his knuckles tightened around his rifle.
He was going to find him.
He was going to stop him reaching Barrow.
And he was going to make him pay for what he’d done.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jack wasn’t willing to wait ’til morning to make his final push towards Barrow.
It was late. Icy rain pelted down heavily from above. The air felt warmer, though, and the snow slushier. He didn’t want to get too hopeful, though. He’d seen the weather change a lot over the last few days.
But at least it had to be a sign that things were improving. Any change was a sign of the change in the seasons.
But even if the snow were hammering down right now, he’d still be making this final push.
Even if the rest of his group didn’t seem too keen on it.
Emma had been sleeping when Jack barged in and told them they were leaving. There’d been some pushback. Some questioning of his motives. But in the end, they’d all fallen in line and followed.
He told them it was crucial they got to Barrow as soon as possible.
But really, there was something else on his mind.
Martin.
Making damned sure he didn’t get there.
Making damned sure he stopped him before he wormed his way inside.
Because he didn’t want to live with the thought that Martin might’ve found his way into the safe zone before Jack and his people.
Pete walked up to Jack’s side. Jack barely even glanced around at him.
“Jack,” he said. “We’re close. There’s no harm in moving a little slower.”
“We’re close? Even more reason to press on, then.”
Pete sighed. “We’ve been walking right through the night. People are exhausted. And after what happened…”
Jack stopped. Squared up to him. “You think you could lead better? You think you know what’s best for my people?”
Pete shook his head. “That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? Your issue with me. Your hatred of me. And sure, mate. Sure. I get it. Really, I do. But I can’t change the past. And hell. I wouldn’t change it even if I had the chance.”
Anger seethed inside Jack. All his urges to explode at Pete built and threatened to manifest. “You might want to stop talking right now.”
But Pete shook his head. “No. I won’t stop frigging talking. Because you need to hear it, Jack. You need to hear the frigging truth.”
Jack took another step towards Pete. Peered right into his eyes. “Go on. I dare you.”
Pete opened his mouth. Closed it. Clearly so desperate to say something. So eager to get his words off his chest.
“Go on,” Jack said. “Say it. Get it off your chest.”
Pete looked right into Jack’s eyes. “There’s something…” He stopped, then. “You walked away from Hazel, Jack. You walked away from her when she needed you most. You walked away from her, and I was there for her. That’s the difference. That’s the truth.”
Jack wanted to feel angry. He wanted to take a swing at Pete.
But the thing that hurt him most?
Pete spoke the truth.
The rest of the group caught up with them. Hazel stepped forward. Looked concerned. “What the hell’s happening here?”
Jack lifted a hand. “Stay out of this, Hazel.”
She looked from Jack to Pete. “Guys? What’s—”
“Jack wanted to hear a few home truths,” Pete said. “I didn’t want to go there, but he wanted to hear it.”
Hazel’s face dropped. “Pete.”
“No, it’s okay,” Pete said. “Jack’s heard what I had to say. He’s got his own shit to deal with. And he’d better deal with it. Fast. Before it kills the lot of us.”
Jack didn’t know what to say. He could only think of India’s death. The way he’d walked away. The guilt he’d felt. The resentment he’d felt towards everyone.
And then there was Pete. The knight in shining armour like he’d always been.
“You took my wife,” Jack said.
“You lost your frigging wife,” Pete shouted. “Just like you lose everyone.”
His eyes widened the moment he said those words.
Like he’d realised what he’d said, far too late.
“I didn’t mean—”
But it was too late.
Jack swung a fist at him, cracked him across the face.
Pete fell back to the ground.
Jack stepped over him. Grabbed him by the scruff of his neck. Pulled back his fist, went to punch him again. Went to release himself of all his pain. All his demons.
Hazel grabbed his hand. Tried to drag him back.
Everyone shouted at him, told him to stop.
But he wasn’t stopping.
Because Pete was right.
And it terrified him.
He went to crack him across the face once more.
And then something caught Jack’s eye.
He turned around.
The rest of his people all turned around, too.
Because in the distance, he saw something.
In the distance, at the bottom of the hill, he saw a light.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jack stared at the light at the bottom of the hill, and he wasn’t sure what to think.
His fist was still tensed, still ready to crack Pete across the face again. But it felt like everything had drifted into the background. Nothing else mattered.
Just that light.
A glimmer in the darkness.
“Is—is that them?” Candice asked.
Pete shuffled from underneath Jack, making the most of Jack’s break in concentration. He stood up, brushed himself down, and stared down the hill at that light. It was small. Looked like a torch.
But it was a sign of power. It was a trace of electricity. It had to matter.
“I… I don’t know,” Pete said.
Jack turned around, then. Frowned. “You don’t know? What do you mean you don’t frigging know? Are they your people or not?”
Pete looked around at Jack as they stood there in the icy rain, and Jack saw something in his eyes, then. Guilt. The same look of guilt he’d had when they first ran into each other after Jack found out about Pete’s affair with Hazel. The look that turned his stomach.
And with that look, Jack understood.
“You really don’t know, do you?” Jack said.
Pete shook his head. “I—I—”
“You’re not from any safe haven at all. Are you?”
Pete rubbed the back of his neck. Everyone turned around, looked at him. This man who had seemed so authoritative. This man who had seemed so promising; who had brought so much hope along with him.
“Pete?” Hazel said.
Pete turned around. He looked at Candice. Emma. Trent. And then he looked at Hazel, and that expression of guilt on his face grew even more.
“Tell them,” Jack said. “Be honest. For once in your damned life, be honest.”
He looked back at Jack.
And then he closed his eyes and shook his head. “There—there is a safe haven. I’ve seen it. A—a place in Barrow. A place where the helicopters go.”